Yours insanely

4.Reality

"Don't look," your co-worker said as she stood beside you.

You didn't notice when she came out but you did notice the pair of eyes on you.

"Why?" A hint of the previous smile still on your face. For the first time in so long, you were genuinely smiling again.

Sure it didn't come out while inside but now it just came off naturally.

"It's okay, dare I say, safe to smile at his sister but don't look at him," she answered, leaning a bit towards your ear while saying the last part.

"Is he Medusa that I shouldn't look at him?" You looked at her with a small chuckle.

"Medusa was an image of evil to repel evil. He's worse," she said as the brown eyed man looked away from you for a split second. "He's Shubman Gill."

While one of the guards standing out opened the car door for his sister to get in, he looked at you again.

Your eyes were still on him.

Even as he got into the car, as if on auto-pilot, and the driver drove them away, you had a feeling that he was still looking at you through the black tinted glasses.

"Shubman who?" You asked while turning your head to face your co-worker.

"What do you mean 'who'- Alright, you're new to the place," she said, more to herself. "He's bad news. The whole region is his, and with the mass hysteria he could create, he enjoys excessive profits. Completely someone you should stay clear from."

"You're making this sound like the start of some sappy celebrity romance novel," you mused.

"Something of that sort. Now let's go inside and we'll tell you all you need to know so that you don't end up being that naive character in the book."

"Sappy romance novel," you corrected her.

Time skip to night~

"I texted you asking for four brownies. You brought only three, Shahneel," Ishan complained as he walked behind Shubman's sister. "Why are they in the freezer?"

"It's perfectly fine to refrigerate brownies after they've cooled completely, Ishu. And we have one for each so- Why is there only two?" She looked at the two boxes that came with the brownies and ice cream.

The two looked up at the same time, finding Shubman at the dining table, silently eating the dessert.

"He didn't even care to wait for me," Shahneel muttered before walking towards her brother and sitting on the chair across from him while Ishan trailed behind.

"You didn't even care to not go alone in the evening," Ishan reminded.

"That's different. I can take care of myself," she answered. "Calling him to pick me up doesn't count."

"And he can eat by himself," he answered before grabbing one of the boxes from Shahneel.

She didn't think anything of the prolonging silence from her brother as the trio went on with dessert.

It didn't bother her. But now that she thought about it again, it did bother her.

"Why does he look like that?" She asked, swallowing the vanilla ice cream.

"He always looks like that," Ishan answered without even looking up.

"Did some deal go haywire?" Shahneel asked again and he mumbled something along the lines of 'his sister is haywire' to himself before looking up at his best friend.

"Alright, why does he look like he swallowed a bullet?"

"Did he?" She asked, genuinely doubting it. "Shubi." Nothing. "Shub." Nothing at all.

Her hand shook her brother's shoulder as he was still eating the brownie, still on autopilot. Only then did he look at her, blinking. "Yeah."

"Yeah? You were mentally absent for the whole time, and that's what you have to say?" Shahneel looked at him with a done face.

"What do you want me to say?" Shubman asked rhetorically but Ishan answered anyway.

"What's been in your head," he said, about to complete the brownie already.

The brown eyed man looked at the duo, not necessarily thinking of saying anything until his sister raised an eyebrow at him.

For emphasis, she tilted her head a bit to the side and waited for an answer.

Shubman sighed internally; he'd tell her anyway. He was the closest to his sister than he has ever been with anyone.

"I can't stop thinking about her," he let out and it felt like he was saying that to himself.

His sister looked at him while processing what little information he had given her.

She just blinked twice before speaking. "We have a 'her'?"

"Who's 'her'?" Ishan stared at the siblings' faces. "Am I the only one who thinks that it sounds like a name?"

"Yes," Shahneel replied shortly while still examining her brother's response.

"Today," Shubman answered again, waiting for his sister to catch up.

"Wait, the one you wouldn't stop gawking at outside the café," she said and he just nodded. "Oh my gawd, it's her?"

"Holy chips, who is 'her'?!" The ignored man almost burst out and their cook slowly took a peek at the dining room before returning to the kitchen.

Shahneel stared for a bit longer before she questioned. "Do you think you're in love?"

"It's still too early to say that," Shubman replied, scooping up the last bits of brownie and ice cream.

"Ever heard of love at first sight?" She said quickly.

"Ever heard of being ignored?"

"My best advice, Shubi. If you like her, tell her, ask her if she wants to go out with you," Shahneel said, forgetting about the dessert. "If it's a no, you know what then. Move on."

"I don't want to scare her away," he added, silently wondering since when he cared about scaring people away.

"Well, my best bet, she knows about you already," she added. "At least, after this evening. Plus, it's just like in those books."

Just when they thought they could have a serious conversation.

"You read books?" Ishan asked and she gave a small shrug.

"What do you think I do on my phone and laptop?" Shahneel looked at him like it was something obvious.

"Di, you've gotta stop using that orange colored app," Shubman spoke with concern. Walking into walls while reading on her phone was not okay. He's lost count by now.

"Not the point, Shub. I've prepared my entire life for this moment," she turned to her brother again, before speaking with an encouraging smile. "I say, go for her, lil' bro."

"Please just don't kidnap her and expect her to fall in love," Ishan added as he finally just resorted to the comfort of his dessert.

"We're not doing that, Ishu. I've raised my brother better," Shahneel said, nudging his

"How are you positive that she'll respond to me?" Shubman asked, slowly returning to his normal senses as he grabbed the dining napkin, wiping his fingers leisurely.

"That's how it happens," she stated as a matter of fact.

"Where?" He looked at his sister after placing the napkin back on the table.

"The books," she said again and he gave her an 'exactly' look.

"This is reality."